Everyone knows that the first step to removing addiction from your life is to take responsibility. Once you’ve managed to do that, the next step is to commit to a treatment program, battle through it and come out the other side with the addiction gone. Now, we use the term ‘gone’ very loosely. That’s because you may have refrained from using a substance, which is very admirable, but completing rehab doesn’t mean the addiction won’t show up again.
You see, if you’ve been addicted to something once, there’s a strong chance that you could become addicted again. That’s why you unfortunately hear of so many relapses every single year. To put it into perspective, research has shown that as much as 60{d23fb76a351d06c0e1e54eec3facd393bfb36d5bfe0daa18747908a9da2a1644} of people in recovery will suffer a relapse. But, it’s not because the person wasn’t loving having control of their life again, it’s because they hadn’t been conditioned well enough to handle what we call – ‘triggers’.
So, if you want to avoid going through the same thing, then you’re going to need to be able to manage triggers, as well as cravings and temptations. This is especially crucial if you’re in the early stages of recovery, as this is when you’re most susceptible to returning to your old ways. Anyway, you’re probably wondering – ‘What are triggers!?’
Well, there a combination of different things that have a tendency to cause a relapse, and they’re split up into two sections…
Emotional Triggers
As you can probably guess, emotional triggers are things that exist within your mind. Now, if you’ve been through rehab, then you should have been taught new ways of thinking, to ensure you can remain mentally strong. But, when you’re then thrown back into the real world, the treatment can quickly get brushed under the carpet, and your mental state can start to deteriorate under all of the pressure.
That’s why it’s important that you have a strong support system behind you, with people that you feel comfortable talking to at any time. This will allow you to be around positive people that promote positive thinking, and people that will help you when you’re having a tough time. Another great tip is to distract yourself through hobbies, exercise or work.
These are the main triggers when it comes to your emotions:
- Worry
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
Environmental Triggers
This is any outside elements that can influence your mind in a negative way. This may be people, or it may be places, either way, it’s crucial that you constantly put yourself in environments that are going to be beneficial to your recovery. If people are frequently reminding you of your past, or you’re regularly seeing places that you associate with previous mistakes, then that isn’t optimal for your recovery.
Therefore, not only do you need to surround yourself with positive people that will guide you in the right direction, but you also need to change your lifestyle to avoid some of those triggers. In addition, you could also attend support groups to connect with like-minded people in similar situations to yourself.
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